I need some advice before playing 'Bloodborne' for the first time

[Wamb0wneD]

Don't throw the towel too early. You can level up as soon you encounter your first boss (you don't have to beat it) or when finding an item called madman's knowledge and use it. It's called insight and is displayed under your echoes.

Choose the axe as a starting weapon if you want the game to be easier. It's fun to use and fairly op.

Also learn to parry. It's hard, but once you get it you can destroy many enemies and bosses.

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Just no. The Axe is good against normal enemies but its like hitting against a brick wall against most bosses. Serrated damage helps against most early bosses. Go with the saw OP.

 

[HellofaMouse]

grind in the starting area until you have 25-30 vit.

whenever you level up, buy blood vials with your leftover souls.

i dont think there are any 'easy mode' weapons in the game, its just a matter of getting used to their moveset, so there is no wrong choice. just pay attention to which attribute it scales with (strength or skill)

 

[Jimnymebob]

Congrats on beating the boss.
You have missed somethings as far as I can tell, but it doesn't really matter when you go back to them in all honesty. There is a boss later in the game that you drop down to to initiate the fight (you'll know it when you get to it), and I'd recommend doing as much of what you can before that point. You can still do it after of course, but that's a good midway point.

If you mean the locked door at the top of the Cathedral Ward tower that you drop down, with all the vases and candles, you can come back to that a lot later on.

 

[Sorel]

Thanks, I guess I opened it from the other side then and spent 10k in vain, oh well.

So, I have just beat the boss in the cathedral after a few attempts - short cuts really come in handy.
What I wanted to ask: do you recommend to visit and search through all the old areas after beating a boss? I have found my way up to Hemwick Charnel Lane and it looks like it will lead me away from the cathedral area. I'm just wondering how much I missed, since they are still some locked doors (at least one in the chapel as the starting point).

edit: Ha! Managed to kill the second hunter with his big gun! :D Didn't drop any cool stuff though.

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You've definitely miss stuff.

 

[Deleted member 22585]

Look around every corner for hidden enemies or items

Do some suicide runs to explore the level (run past enemies and get as far as you can)

Learn to be aggressive in combat as it's the most efficient way

Don't play a smooth 60 fps game directly before Bloodborne. The framepacing will make your eyes bleed

 

[Jimnymebob]

Also, now you're at Hemwick Channel Lane, you're almost at the first really good grinding/farming spot in the game (running from the boss room of that area, through the shortcut and back to the starting lantern). There are some tricky enemies, but they'll help you practice parries, you'll get a load of blood vials, and around 20k echoes per run.

 

[KayMote]

Congrats on beating the boss.
You have missed somethings as far as I can tell, but it doesn't really matter when you go back to them in all honesty. There is a boss later in the game that you drop down to to initiate the fight (you'll know it when you get to it), and I'd recommend doing as much of what you can before that point. You can still do it after of course, but that's a good midway point.

If you mean the locked door at the top of the Cathedral Ward tower that you drop down, with all the vases and candles, you can come back to that a lot later on.

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Thanks for the information - good to know that there's some sort of midpoint for my orientation.

Another question: I've reached an area past the two hunters near the cathedral and entered a big hall where I was instantly killed by some sort of Ghost that picked me up into the air. WTF?! Can I do anything about it or should I return later.

As for some good news: I've finally encountered a place where I can find some Twin Blood Stones. I guess I will be sitting there for a while farming to strengthen my weapons :)

 

[Finale Fireworker]

I came in here ready to type up a whole bunch of things to help the uninitiated and you're already beating bosses. You don't need my help.

It took me 15 hours to proceed beyond the Cleric Beast. I failed so hard and had such difficulty understanding the systems that I would play for two hours, get killed every ten minutes (or less), and make no progress at all. I spent most of that time using a completely degraded weapon because I didn't know what degration was or how to repair it anyway. It was awful.

So you're going great!

 

[Chittagong]

Understand that the essensce and joy of the game is starting from a lantern, pushing as far as you can, dying, trying again, learning the enemies little by little, and eventually reach a new lantern or a switch that opens a shortcut.

You might need to do the same run tens of times, each time being a bit better in it. That grind is the core loop, and if you embrace it you'll have a great time.

 

[Snormy]

Still, I'm looking for every friendly piece of advice! :)

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Frustration often leads to mistakes. These games are about patterns, familiarity and breaking away from your mistakes/bad habits. Trying to get greedy hits in for example is extremely common. Spamming attacks are not always inappropriate, you need to learn when to do it and when not to do it. Sometimes the game will bully you. There is no way to know of some of the traps or dangers but you can learn from them.

Your dodge is exceptional. It has some invincibility frames in the animation and you can actually use this to dodge through some attacks. Incredibly handle for slower but powerful attacks with no follow ups as once you have the timing down you can evade through it and be in position to retaliate immediately.

"Farming blood vials" aka farming healing potions is a common complaint. My method of fighting against this is
-spending excess blood (from leveling) on vials before leaving the dream area.
-Admit that sometimes I have played extremely poorly and simply reset the area rather than spend my healing items. It lets me practice with the enemies again, conserve healing items and earn more blood. If I'm using all my healing items just to get through an area then I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
-Some enemies are tougher than others and might not really be worth fighting.

Shoot small dogs to stop them and allow for openings. Won't work on large wolf like creatures.

The parry is risky but rewarding. It will also make some fights much easier if you learn it.

Edit.
So I totally didn't see there was a page 2. Bad form, mod shame commence!

Another question: I've reached an area past the two hunters near the cathedral and entered a big hall where I was instantly killed by some sort of Ghost that picked me up into the air. WTF?! Can I do anything about it or should I return later.

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If you possess certain items, this thing will take you to places. One of the items you get from the Hunter's Dream, it is laying on the ground but appears after a certain boss. This will take you to the DLC area which I do not recommend until later in the game.

 

[KayMote]

I came in here ready to type up a whole bunch of things to help the uninitiated and you're already beating bosses. You don't need my help.

It took me 15 hours to proceed beyond the Cleric Beast. I failed so hard and had such difficulty understanding the systems that I would play for two hours, get killed every ten minutes (or less), and make no progress at all. I spent most of that time using a completely degraded weapon because I didn't know what degration was or how to repair it anyway. It was awful.

So you're going great!

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Haha, thanks! :D

 

[Jimnymebob]

Another question: I've reached an area past the two hunters near the cathedral and entered a big hall where I was instantly killed by some sort of Ghost that picked me up into the air. WTF?!

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Haha. You don't need to do anything about that yet.

 

[Moose the Mooche]

Reading this thread makes me want boot up BB again. Such a great game.

 

[traillaitor]

Watch Prepare to Try.

Well, if you want to go in blind and work out the story/lore yourself then don't... but this is a brilliant lets play series that helped me get into the game so much more.

 

[DevilMayGuy]

If you have trouble with the werewolves on the bridge (you'll know the ones), just run past them to the first boss.

 

[Master Alucard]

Hey guys,
I'm about to jump right into Bloodborne and to be honest: after all I've heard about it I feel pretty intimidated. This will be the very first FromSoftware game that I will be actively playing, so I have basically no experience whatsoever with this kind of game system.

So, before I mess something up I just wanted to ask you guys: Without giving too much away can you give me some advice that might help me to have an overall more pleasant experience and to avoid unnecessary frustration (obviously apart from the fact that I will be probably dying a lot, but I already accepted this as part of the game's DNA)?
It could be anything: (hidden) techniques in combat that I should master as fast as possible, overall controls, elements in the environment that I should look out for, how to approach this gigantic world overall, how to slowly make progress, some special places (for example where you have good opportunities to grind etc.) and so on...

I have always been under the impression that not jumping into the game completely blind violates some sort of gaming code of honor and that's probably one of the reasons I feel so intimidated by this game, but on the other hand I've already encountered enough people that played through the Souls game only by using a Wiki and walkthrough. Some people have told me that even if I occasionally ask about certain points of progress there will be still tons of things left to explore by yourself.

Still, I'm looking for every friendly piece of advice! :)

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you can pretty much divide stats in 2 categories, one is for damage output and requisite for equipping weapons, the other is for character improvement. as a general rule for at least half of the game don't upgrade the damage output stat (STR, DEX, ARC, BLD) more than what you need to equip your weapon of choice (you can see it in the menu), as you get most of the damage with weapon upgrades. focus on boosting HP and stamina

 

[Spooky_Lantern]

Don't be afraid to look stuff up online. The mechanics, leveling up, stats, items, etc can be cryptic. If a boss ever stops being fun, let's say after the 25th try (I'm looking at you

Spoiler

Orphan of Kos

), look up strategies.

When it comes to NPC quest lines, I doubt you will complete most of them, or even know about all of them, on a first play through. So if you aren't into multiple play throughs, but want to complete them, look them up.

Edit: Also, if you have ps+ you can save scum with cloud saving. I used it so I wouldn't have to farm blood vials when I got stuck on a boss.

 

[KayMote]

Wow, the Hemwick Charnel Lane path is really great to farm! I can get around 12k echoes from one run. Also, I have to admit that following a linear pathway once in a while was kind of great after all those intertwined areas before.

Questions regarding two items:
1. I've found my first rune. But I have no idea how to equip it.
2. What about those eye balls? The description says that I need them for some sort of ritual, but I don't know how and by now I have found 3 of those.

 

[FakePlasticTree]

Don't die :-)

 

[FakePlasticTree]

Wow, the Hemwick Charnel Lane path is really great to farm! I can get around 12k echoes from one run. Also, I have to admit that following a linear pathway once in a while was kind of great after all those intertwined areas before.

Questions regarding two items:
1. I've found my first rune. But I have no idea how to equip it.
2. What about those eye balls? The description says that I need them for some sort of ritual, but I don't know how and by now I have found 3 of those.

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1. Hoonter's Workshop
2. Used for making Chalice Dungeons

 

[KayMote]

1. Hoonter's Workshop
2. Used for making Chalice Dungeons

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Thanks! I don't really know what making Chalice Dungeons mean though

As for some good news: I beat the witch on my first try :D I am curious about the progression now, since I ran into a dead end. We'll see where the game will take me next.

 

[DaciaJC]

Thanks! I don't really know what making Chalice Dungeons mean though

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You can do it at those gravestones in Hunter's Dream (not the ones teleporting to Central Yharnam or elsewhere, the ones closer to the messenger bath). You can use ritual materials along with certain chalices to create dungeons for more exploration and gameplay, but they're not necessary for progressing through the main game, more just intended as extra content.

As for some good news: I beat the witch on my first try :D I am curious about the progression now, since I ran into a dead end. We'll see where the game will take me next.

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Did you inspect the altar after beating Vicar Amelia?

 

[TheCthultist]

Thanks! I don't really know what making Chalice Dungeons mean though

As for some good news: I beat the witch on my first try :D I am curious about the progression now, since I ran into a dead end. We'll see where the game will take me next.

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Don't worry about the chalice dungeons. They're just an extra thing to explore later on if you feel like dumping time into it. Sprawling dungeons underneath Yharnam that will, once you progress through enough of them, give you a chance to collect some top tier gems and some alternate versions of weapons with the only actual difference being the gem slots they have.

Great work on the witches. That can be either a moment of triumph or one of the most infuriating bosses in the game if you don't realize there's a second one in there with you... also be sure to go down the little dead end chamber from the witches boss room if you didn't. Important tool to pick up there.

If you haven't looked at the altar in Vicar Amelia's boss room, go click on it. It will teach you a phrase you'll need to progress.

 

[Mani]

One day in my life I wanna make a game as purely "badass" as Bloodborne.

 

[Cutty]

Don't leave all the Chalice Dungeons til the end if you want the Plat. Big mistake I made.

 

[esserius]

Spend some time to get the Kirkhammer. Not for everyone, but in Bloodborne, stuns and superarmor are far more reliable than parries.

 

[KayMote]

Don't leave all the Chalice Dungeons til the end if you want the Plat. Big mistake I made.

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How do I know, from point on it's possible to do the Chalice Dungeons? I still have no idea how to gain access to them and how to use my eyesballs for that.

Btw what is the level cap in this game? 99? Because I'm already at level 60 and right now I've made my through a bit of the forbidden woods. Don't know how far I'm into the game, but it seems from the remaining tomb stones in the dream area that there is still a lot lying ahead of me.

 

[shan780]

you can pretty much divide stats in 2 categories, one is for damage output and requisite for equipping weapons, the other is for character improvement. as a general rule for at least half of the game don't upgrade the damage output stat (STR, DEX, ARC, BLD) more than what you need to equip your weapon of choice (you can see it in the menu), as you get most of the damage with weapon upgrades. focus on boosting HP and stamina

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Bloodborne is so generous with its starting stamina that i don't think it's worth upgrading it until the end of the game at least. you also get some really nice runes that increase your max stamina

investing in damage stats early on is really good, the bosses in the first half of the game are a joke if your DPS is high enough

OP, my advice is to use beast blood pellets and elemental paper with the saw cleaver/spear and spam the transform attack. you'll gain beast meter really quick and your damage will go through the roof

 

[KayMote]

OP, my advice is to use beast blood pellets and elemental paper with the saw cleaver/spear and spam the transform attack. you'll gain beast meter really quick and your damage will go through the roof

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Thank you! I have to admit that I have the max amount of blood pellets right now, but I haven't tried them out, yet.

Also, holy shit! I have just experienced my least favorite part of the game so far. The forbidden woods were a pain to get through, I was getting poisoned left and right and lost any orientation - I even lost 60k echoes to some stupid enemy (but luckily was able to get it back). After quite some time of wandering around and barely surviving, I sort of accidentely stumbled upon a boss fight (3 knights that fought with fire ). My heart was racing at that point, because not only didn't I wanna lose all my echoes again, but was also unsure if I would ever find the pathway to the boss again. Luckily I managed to kill them on my first try.

I am now standing in Byrgenwerth. I guess there's still plenty to find in the forbiden woods (although I found a few shortcuts already), but I'm not sure if I wanna ever get back there again and explore a bit more. This area was just exhausting.

 

[random88]

Level 60 already, damn, don't make it too easy for yourself. I think I was level 70-75 when I finished the game and I didn't miss any boss fight.

If you want to explore more, now is the time, after you beat the boss in Byrgenwerth, some stuff will change.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Thank you! I have to admit that I have the max amount of blood pellets right now, but I haven't tried them out, yet.

Also, holy shit! I have just experienced my least favorite part of the game so far. The forbidden woods were a pain to get through, I was getting poisoned left and right and lost any orientation - I even lost 60k echoes to some stupid enemy (but luckily was able to get it back). After quite some time of wandering around and barely surviving, I sort of accidentely stumbled upon a boss fight (3 knights that fought with fire ). My heart was racing at that point, because not only didn't I wanna lose all my echoes again, but was also unsure if I would ever find the pathway to the boss again. Luckily I managed to kill them on my first try.

I am now standing in Byrgenwerth. I guess there's still plenty to find in the forbiden woods (although I found a few shortcuts already), but I'm not sure if I wanna ever get back there again and explore a bit more. This area was just exhausting.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the Forbidden Woods is intense. Probably the most maze-like part of the game. I both loved it because it really felt like you were going deep into a seriously hostile area, and hated it because fucking everything poisons you and the snake enemies are creepy!

Byrgenwerth is short, but great. You're probably around two thirds of the way through the game now. Bloodborne is the shortest critical path in a Souls game, but it also has a huge amount of optional content (especially if you have the DLC). Worth bearing in mind that something of a change occurs after you defeat the boss of Byrgenwerth, so if you want to do more exploring now might be a good time.

 

[KayMote]

Level 60 already, damn, don't make it too easy for yourself. I think I was level 70-75 when I finished the game and I didn't miss any boss fight.

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Haha, I guess I'm a bit overpowered, but I didn't really did it on purpose. I think I only spent time consciously farming once with a very good farming spot and gained around 10 levels there - this is just my RPG habit.
The rest comes from exploring and beating the same enemies again and I guess I was a bit scared so after I had enough blood echoes I always returned to the Dream leveled up and by doing that reseted all the enemies again.

Yeah, the Forbidden Woods is intense. Probably the most maze-like part of the game. I both loved it because it really felt like you were going deep into a seriously hostile area, and hated it because fucking everything poisons you and the snake enemies are creepy!

Byrgenwerth is short, but great. You're probably around two thirds of the way through the game now. Bloodborne is the shortest critical path in a Souls game, but it also has a huge amount of optional content (especially if you have the DLC). Worth bearing in mind that something of a change occurs after you defeat the boss of Byrgenwerth, so if you want to do more exploring now might be a good time.

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Thank for the advice - I will spent some time then to run through the world again. Does anybody know how many bosses I could have beaten by now? I think I killed 5 so far (first one on the bridge, the pater on the graveyard, the white wolf in the cathedral, the witch and now the boss in the forbidden woods.
Also, wow! Two thirds you say? I thought I might be halfway through at most, I guess Bloodborne is way shorter than I expected.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Thank for the advice - I will spent some time then to run through the world again. Does anybody know how many bosses I could have beaten by now? I think I killed 5 so far (first one on the bridge, the pater on the graveyard, the white wolf in the cathedral, the witch and now the boss in the forbidden woods.

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Off the top of my head, you've definitely missed one boss/an entire area out, plus there are two areas that you've not been to yet that have bosses, which you can get to before Byrgenwerth. Both of these areas are optional: one you can't get to just yet, but you'll need to explore more of the Woods to get access to this, and the other you will come to eventually from a different way, but you can get to it now. Both of these areas are obscure to find though.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Yeah, I'm wracking my brain but I can only think one full area you've missed (Lower Yharnam); two if we're counting the Unseen Village but I don't think there's a boss available there yet, and I don't think Cainhurst is available until a bit later on.

I can think of at least three other areas which are optional but I think they all come a bit later. Plus there are the Chalice Dungeons which are probably best done on the side as you progress through the main story, but only if you're interested in going for the Platinum or really want to see all of the unique content/enemies.

The DLC is great too but really hard - save that for end-game activities when you're like level 80+ (I was about 110 when I attempted the DLC and still really struggled!).

 

[Bartend3r]

Go with the Burial Blade and have fun being a fast and merciless assassin.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Yeah, I'm wracking my brain but I can only think one full area you've missed (Lower Yharnam); two if we're counting the Unseen Village but I don't think there's a boss available there yet, and I don't think Cainhurst is available until a bit later on.

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You can get to the boss of Unseen Village as soon as you visit. You go

Spoiler

into the dungeon area with the annoying enemy that can grab you/the sleeping enemies, and drop through the broken floor at the end of the room. The door after the boss is obviously locked until post-Rom.

As for Cainhurst, I thought you could get there straight after you

Spoiler

go to the back end of Iosefka's Clinic, through the swamp in the woods?

 

[BossAttack]

Alright, I played around a bit in the second area and even though I didn't make too much progress (ran into a lot of dead ends with some cool items and have yet to find any real short cuts) I got a feel for the new enemies there (or the old enemy types that seem to have more HP now?) and feel like I am pretty well equipped. I've reached level 28 so far, I have upgraded my weapon so many times that I need twin blood stones now which I haven't found yet.

I've also managed to finish some sidequests in the first area (telling a woman where to hide and finding the mother of a crying girl, but that didn't have a real pay off, oh well. I've also managed to buy a key for 10k that I think I've already used? Not sure if it was really this particular key that I used, the game didn't specifically tell me - it led me to an area where I was able to gather quite a lot of "insights" (of which I still don't know what they actually do).

I still have the urge to stay as close to a lamp where I can return to it an buy some new stuff after a few enemies, but I guess I should wander around more freely now and just progress without the fear of dying. Also, I have the constant feeling that I miss tons of things around me...so many locked doors, but I already try to cover as much ground as possible, so there's not much that I can do about this nagging feeling I guess.

Game is bloody awesome btw so far! :D

Click to shrink...

Has no one explained "Insight" to you yet? Basically, think of it has a second type of resource you can spend such as Blood Echoes. However, Insight is finite, there is only so much you can obtain in the game unless you grind Chalice Dungeons. You spend Insight at the Hunter's Dream. It's easy to miss, but there is a second Messenger Bath Shop just outside the Hunter's Workshop, right up on the hill. This shop sells Boss Outfits from defeated boss as well as Blood Stones to level up your weapon, as well as other stuff. But again, you want to be careful what you spend your Insight on because it is finite. Now, there are later level enemies that hurt far more based on the amount of Insight you have. But, those enemies are a pain regardless.

Other explanations (in case no one told you or you haven't figured it out):

• Chalice Dungeons: These are basically just randomly generated dungeons that you can take on. They aren't that fun since they aren't handmade and you quickly discover the formula of each dungeon. However, there are some unique bosses specific to these dungeons that can be quite a challenge. But really, you use these dungeons to grind for items, mostly various Blood Stones.
• Caryle Runes: You've likely figured this out by now, but they are buffs you can place on your character. You're allowed to equip 3 regular runes and one special rune. You equip them in the Hunter's Dream. Obviously, you can only start using Runes after defeating the Witches of Hemlock and grabbing the Workshop Tool from the corpse Caryle in the room beyond.
• Leveling Weapons: This I know you've figured out, but it bares stressing. You can only fully level up a few weapons, actually I think only 2 in the base game. So, choose carefully which weapons you want to level. Regular Blood Stones and Twin Blood Stones are common enough to easily find, so you can level as many weapons you want using those stones. But, Blood Stone Chunks are much rarer and harder to grind. And, the final Stone (the +10 one), is the Blood Stone Rock and there are about only 2 in the base game. Now, you can also grind for this stuff in the Chalice Dungeons but it's a slog.
• Secret Levels and DLC: Without spoiling, there is a secret level/area within the base game that you can access but I'll let you figure it out. And, of course, there is the DLC which you can access once reaching Cathedral Ward.
• Fashion Souls: Never worry too much about what type of armor you're wearing, just wear what looks cool to you.

 

[KayMote]

Thank you very much everyone for your elaborated advice! This is really helpful!

So apparently I'm still missing a few bosses and areas (although I have ran through the first two levels again and didn't find anything so far, will have to check the next areas one more time), but I found a new side quest near the cathedral, where I'm kind of stuck. I got a Tonsil Stone and the NPCs told me to check out the area to the right of the cathedral, where a small church should is hidden but I'm kind of lost on that one.

I don't even know which "right" they actually mean. Walking from the top of the cathedral to the right will get me to some sort of chapel (where the two hunters were), but I can't place the Tonsil stone there and there is still this stupid ghost that picked me up into the air, so I'm not sure if this is right. Or if I follow the other path it will lead me to the Hemwick Chanel Lane to the witch boss fight that I already won (I guess she was also in some sort of church). A small hint would be nice :)

I guess for the further progress, I will try and search the entire world once more, but after that I'll just progress. If those hidden pathways are really that obscure maybe I should just tackle them in another playthrough (if I understood it correctly, you get to play through the world one more time - are there any changes in your second playthourgh btw?) where I'm more willing to look up the optional stuff.

 

[Jimnymebob]

A small hint would be nice :)

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You have the right idea with the church.

One area that you can access is fairly obscure to get to, as you'll stumble across it accidentally: it's not a place that you'll find, as cryptic as that might sound. The other one I don't think you've found, but you'll need to explore the woods a bit more.

The 3rd area is really easy to find, and for a lot of people, myself included, they'll do it before they do Cathedral Ward/straight after Gascoigne.

 

[DaciaJC]

I don't even know which "right" they actually mean. Walking from the top of the cathedral to the right will get me to some sort of chapel (where the two hunters were), but I can't place the Tonsil stone there and there is still this stupid ghost that picked me up into the air, so I'm not sure if this is right.

Click to shrink...

Let the ghost embrace you. ;)

I guess for the further progress, I will try and search the entire world once more, but after that I'll just progress. If those hidden pathways are really that obscure maybe I should just tackle them in another playthrough (if I understood it correctly, you get to play through the world one more time - are there any changes in your second playthourgh btw?) where I'm more willing to look up the optional stuff.

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The main changes in New Game Plus (NG+) are that enemies have more health and do more damage, and you carry over your inventory and levels from the last playthrough. Otherwise it's exactly the same.

Do some more digging around in Cathedral Ward. There's a path from Oedon Chapel which it sounds like you haven't found yet (from the left-hand door), it will lead to a new area. You're pretty overleveled for it at this point, but it should still be fun.

There are indeed other secret, optional areas, but if you want to leave them for NG+, that's fine. Just be sure to try the DLC before you finish this playthrough. It will be very obvious in the Hunter's Dream when you're pretty much at the end, and that would be a good time to figure out how to access the DLC.

 

[KayMote]

Thank you two for the hints!
As for now I have only found the Nightmare Frontier as an optional area. Phew, that was a tough one... Again, I completely lost any sense of orientation and the poison is extremely unpleasent, but I think I covered most of the area, found some runes and after a few attempts managed to kill Amygdala. Very unpleasent part of the game, but the sense of achievement after that is great!

I guess I can approach the first optional random dungeon now, since I found a chalice, but so far I haven't really bothered to deal with it. I think I will try to reach some other optional areas (at least the one from Oedon Chapel), before I progress through Byrgenwerth.

 

[KayMote]

Do some more digging around in Cathedral Ward. There's a path from Oedon Chapel which it sounds like you haven't found yet (from the left-hand door), it will lead to a new area. You're pretty overleveled for it at this point, but it should still be fun.
.

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I'm sorry - I have searched the area up from the left exit of the Odeon Chapel for around an hour now and I still haven't found anything. Could somebody please give me another hint?

 

[DaciaJC]

I'm sorry - I have searched the area up from the left exit of the Odeon Chapel for around an hour now and I still haven't found anything. Could somebody please give me another hint?

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Forgive me for the crappy picture - the area highlighted in yellow is what you're searching for. Be on the lookout for a lever that you can pull a little ways in, it'll open a hidden pathway.

 

[KayMote]

Oh man thanks a lot! So it seems that I've already kind of entered the area, but overlooked one door, forgot about it and never returned to investigate further! :D Well, final some progress!

 

[smash_robot]

Don't throw the towel too early. You can level up as soon you encounter your first boss (you don't have to beat it) or when finding an item called madman's knowledge and use it. It's called insight and is displayed under your echoes.

Click to shrink...

This. I struggled with this on and off for years, but it turns out you can actually run all the way to the first boss without doing any combat at all. After that you can quickly grind a few levels out to make the start more manageable.

Edit: Oh well, this is too late - nvm.

 

[KayMote]

So, a couple of cool and scary things happened:

I slashed my way through Byrgenwerth and was super happy, when I found an optional boss by myself (let's just say it was at the bottom of the ocean). It was super gross with all those surrounding spiders, but funnily enough we both died at the very same time - I still got the trophy, but had to restart. And now after reentering the area (since I wanted to get my echoes back) it teleported me to a whole new area (the Unseen Village Yahar'gul?) and I don't know what to think about it.

It has a great apocalyptic feel to it, but should I really progress there? I can also visit areas in it that I already know (the little ground before the hall where the two hunters appeared), but now the sky has somewhat changed? Not sure how to progress - if I should leave this for later or if I should just continue climbing up at the top of Byrgenwerth. Really confusing, but very cool moments of the game right now!

Edit: Okay, so apparently the sky's changed now everywhere, wtf?!

 

[Sorel]

It wasn't an optional boss.

 

[lowlifelenny]

Okay, so apparently the sky's changed now everywhere, wtf?!

Click to shrink...

You've passed one of several 'points of no return' in Bloodborne, and certain things may now be locked off to you if you haven't done them already.

But hey, that's what replays are for, and replaying Bloodborne is a must.

 

[KayMote]

It wasn't an optional boss.

Click to shrink...

Haha alright - I thought it might have been, because it has been a little bit obscure.

So what actually changes in the game now? Shall I go through every area again and see if I can detect some new changes? I already found a freakin' difficult hunter to the cathedral and I can't warp into it anymore. Is there more of that stuff throughout the game?

 

[Aswitch]

Master the Parry system, basically shoot your gun during an enemies attack to do WAY more damage than you normally do. Also works on bosses too. Each enemy is different in this regard, but it's fun when you get the hang of it. This is a good choice to start with the Soulsborne games as this is much quicker/easier than the other titles so you won't struggle as much as other games but it does happen. Also call in help for bosses if you need it, there's an item that will help you do so i forgot what it's called.